It's no secret — your phone knows where you are, and if that data exists, someone else might have it. Back in 2022, we covered the murky market for smartphone location data. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on this multi-billion dollar industry. In today's episode, we explain why the agency is trying to ban a data broker from selling information tied to sensitive places like medical facilities.
Related episodes:
Ad targeting gets into your medical file (Apple / Spotify)
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CoinDesk Podcast Network - THE PROTOCOL: ‘Protocol Councils’ Can the Blockchain Ecosystem Trust These People?
Joining us, Riad Wahby, Co-founder and CEO of Cubist, delves into the risks of restaking, potential contagion effects on blockchain security, and the essential questions that the blockchain ecosystem must address.
This episode is sponsored by the Stellar Community Fund
Follow the show here for more.
In this installment of "The Protocol," hosts Brad Keoun, the founding editor of The Protocol Newsletter, and tech journalists Sam Kessler and Margaux Nijkerk, explore the following stories:
TOPICS |
Lido DAO Endorses Rivals
LayerZero launched a Lido stETH bridge last October without asking for Lido DAO's permission. The community responded this week by endorsing a pair of its biggest competitors.
"Blockchain protocols frequently pride themselves on their "permissionlessness" – the idea that anyone, anywhere can build on top of a protocol without asking for explicit approval. But in practice, it is sometimes wiser to ask for permission."
Blockchains and Decentralization
The goal of these "protocol councils,” sometimes called “security councils,” is to nudge these nascent networks toward increasing decentralization, by gradually removing them from under the control of their original developers. How are they different from boards of directors?
PROTOCOL VILLAGE INTERVIEW SEGMENT
Guest: Riad Wahby
Riad Wahby is the co-founder and CEO of Cubist, a developer of hardware-backed, non-custodial key storage and signing infrastructure that enables companies to protect staking keys and secure withdrawals.
Takeaways |
Keys are fundamental in blockchain interactions and require careful management to ensure security.
Restaking introduces risks and potential contagion effects that can impact the security of the underlying blockchain.
The restaking ecosystem offers opportunities for innovation and collaboration, but reputation and risk assessment are crucial for making informed decisions.
Building systems that can withstand non-compliant users and incentivize responsible behavior is essential for the long-term success of blockchain networks.
There is continued interest in blockchain and crypto among students, with a focus on computer security, cryptography, and the intersection of blockchain and AI.
Balancing entrepreneurship and academia requires efficient time management and leveraging the support of graduate students and teaching assistants.
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EPISODE LINKS |
Lido DAO Rebukes LayerZero by Endorsing Rivals Wormhole, Axelar for Crypto Bridge
As Blockchains Push Toward Decentralization, These People Serve as Ultimate Guardians
Riad S. Wahby - Google Scholar
Cubist Launches Bank-Grade Ethereum Key Management Service
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From Our Sponsor:
The Stellar Community Fund (SCF) is an open-application awards program that draws on community input to support developers and startups building on Stellar and Soroban. Accelerate your web3 project today.
Apply for Funding at communityfund.stellar.org
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The Protocol has been produced and edited by senior producer Michele Musso and our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Take Me Back” by Strength To Last.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Science In Action - Unethical data gathering in China
Starting upbeat this week, engineer Teddy Tzanetos, team lead of NASA’s Ingenuity mission, talks on the Mars-based helicopter which defied all expectations. Our big story this week is on the scientific papers and research databases which contain the DNA profile of thousands of people from persecuted ethnic minorities in China. This data is often collected in association with security forces. Computational biologist and campaigner Yves Moreau now leads the call for scrutiny and the retraction of these papers and databases, which lack evidence of free and informed consent. We often cover the ever-growing threat of bird flu to mammalian populations on Science in Action. But how does the virus make the successful leap from bird to mammal cells? Virologist Wendy Barclay discusses the potential tricks the virus uses to adapt and grow.
And, finally, zoologist Sam Fabian has been trying to answer the question everyone thinks they already know: why are moths attracted to artificial light?
Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Ella Hubber Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
(Image: Protest in Urumqi in China's far west Xinjiang province on July 7, 2009. Credit: PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images)
Federalist Radio Hour - From The Farm To The Freedom Caucus: Rep. Mary Miller On Federalist Radio Hour
Republican Rep. Mary Miller joins Federalist Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss adjusting from farm life in Illinois to Congress, the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and American voters' top concerns heading into the 2024 election.
If you care about combatting the corrupt media that continues to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism that America needs.
If you care about combatting the corrupt media that continues to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism that America needs.
Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago City Council Votes To Pass Ceasefire Resolution
Chicago becomes the largest city in the U.S. to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. With a narrow vote of 23 against and 23 in favor, Mayor Brandon Johnson cast a tie-breaking vote to pass the resolution. Reset checks in with WBEZ city government and politics reporter Mariah Woelfel to understand how the city’s ceasefire resolution fits into the larger picture.
The Bulwark Podcast - We’re Talking Real Money
Trump hasn't re-defamed E. Jean Carroll, so it basically takes about $83 million to get him to shut up. Plus, the big risk in the Georgia case, MAGA will be rooting for San Francisco, and Charlie talks about getting off the hamster wheel. Ben Wittes is back with Charlie Sykes for The Trump Trials.
Honestly with Bari Weiss - The Real Team America
There’s increasing concern that as scary as this period feels—between Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine and Hamas’s ongoing war with Israel—that all of this will come to be seen as the calm before the storm. Should China decide to move against Taiwan in some way, then we’ll have war in three regions, and U.S. involvement in all three. Or perhaps by then it will not seem like separate wars, but a single global one.
Most Americans in the last fifty years, and certainly since the end of the Cold War, have lived in the luxury of safety. We live in a place where peace and security—crime and riots aside—are generally taken for granted. But a lot of Americans had a serious wake-up call after October 7, when a country with a high-tech security fortress was overwhelmed by terrorists on motorcycles and trucks and paragliders.
Could this happen here? Who is actually coming over our border? If we had to fight for our country, who would actually show up?
Today’s Honestly guests had that wake-up call long before the wars in Ukraine or Gaza. They’re investing their time, money, and resources into building a better American defense. And in the past few months especially, their work has come to be seen as prescient.
Palmer Luckey is a 31-year-old software engineer and entrepreneur. At the age of 19, Palmer founded the virtual reality company Oculus, which was originally supposed to be sold on Kickstarter as a virtual reality prototype for VR nerds and enthusiasts. Instead, it was acquired by Facebook for more than $2 billion. Then, when he was 25, he founded Anduril Industries, an $8.5 billion company that develops drones, autonomous vehicles, submarines, rockets, and software for military use.
Katherine Boyle is a Washington Post reporter turned venture capitalist; she is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and the co-founder of the firm’s American Dynamism arm, which invests in companies that build to support the national interest.
Joe Lonsdale is a co-founder of Palantir (along with Peter Thiel and others) and founder and general partner of the firm 8VC, which backed Anduril in its early days.
They are each attempting to disrupt the defense marketplace, bring Silicon Valley’s speed, creativity, and innovation to defense, advance our national security, and, you know. . . save America.
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First Things Podcast - The People’s Justice
In this episode, Amul Thapar joins Mark Bauerlein to discuss his new book, “The People's Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him.”
Music by Jack Bauerlein.
Inside Europe - Inside Europe – 2 February 2024
The EU reaches a deal with Orban, farmers threaten to blockade Paris, and a new report sets out a vision of two very different agro-futures. Then: Norway’s Prime Minister puts his full weight behind the Arctic Council, open source aficionados gather in Brussels, Estonian teachers go back to work, Italian villages get a lease of new life, and Madrid celebrates sustainable tourism.
The Commentary Magazine Podcast - Taylor, Travis, and the Totalitarians
Today's podcast looks at the relationship between superstars Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and expresses both annoyance at their omnipresence and disgust at the effort by MAGA to turn their relationship into something pernicious and evil. And speaking of pernicious, what about the latest American "peace plan" as laid out by Thomas "I Talked to a Cab Driver" Friedman? Give a listen.
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